Finding Satisfaction in the Simple Things

Oh, Happy Day! Today’s high temp will be in the 70’s again. Ah, the simple things.

Gardeners can be so overtaken by things that many others just take for granted. Like being blessed with just one more crisp Fall day in order to whittle down the ever present, and growing, garden To Do list.

We also find pleasure in things like well-cared for garden tools. I didn’t realize how much until recently when, after my long absence from my garden, the simple act of picking up my garden hand tools felt like resurrecting an old friendship. The sense of knowing they are always there for you no matter how long you are away is immensely comforting.

Properly cared for wood-handled tools can be so much more, dare I use the term, sensual than plastic or rubber. Ergonomics aside, and getting dangerously close to sounding Old School, I prefer wood-handled garden tools. And the simple act of restoring the luster of the wood of these implements of mass satisfaction by applying linseed oil is a very satisfying experience. The chore of removing the burrs and nicks from the steel edges of shovels, hoes, and pruning shears and bringing them to a usable sharpness personalizes these tools in a way that no other gardening task can.

These simple and often over-looked maintenance procedures can so easily extend the life of last years’ tools, but all too often, still usable tools are thrown away because we see a shiny or more-colorful tool that doesn’t require any effort other than whipping out our credit card.

When I pick up and hold tools that I have personally put forth the effort to restore and thereby extend the life of, well that is just one more of the simple things that make life more satisfying. And I for one am not ready to throw that away.